by Naomi Miller
“Yeah, that has never made sense to me, either. I mean, I would never get tired of my family. Why would I get tired of someone else that I love? I tell you, sometimes people make no sense at all.”
Travis pulled into the parking lot of the bakery. After unlocking the door and checking that everything was as it should be, he walked Katie in and put her bag down on the floor next to her. “Hey, what's in the bag?”
“A change of clothes.”
“Okay.” Travis leaned in to kiss her goodbye. One kiss wasn't nearly enough, but he knew it would have to do. Reluctantly waving goodbye, he headed back out the door.
Katie's Peach Cobbler
Ingredients:
1 cup self-rising flour
1 cup white sugar
2 cups peaches, sliced
½ cup real butter
1 large egg
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Grease 2qt baking dish with butter.
3. Spread sliced peaches in baking dish.
4. Sprinkle ½ tbsp sugar over top of peaches.
5. Blend remaining sugar and softened butter until mixed well.
6. Add flour to mixture.
7. Add egg and vanilla extract. Mix well.
8. Spread batter over tops of peaches.
9. Bake 35-40 minutes, until crust is brown.
10. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
11. Best served with ice cream.
Yield: Serves 12 (or 2 expectant mothers).
— FOUR —
At precisely twelve noon, Travis walked in the back door of the bakery, excited to start his adventure with Katie. He waved a hand to Mrs. O'Neal, who was standing with a young lady near the walk-in that he thought for a moment might be Bella, but her slim profile and strawberry blonde hair told him it was not.
“Hi Mrs. O'Neal. Do you know if Katie is ready to go?”
Mrs. O'Neal smiled and the young woman with her turned, smiled at him, and then blushed. Several seconds passed before his mind acknowledged what he was seeing and he was a bit shocked to find Katie wearing a tee shirt with a pair of jeans and tennis shoes.
A moment later, before Travis could think of what to say, Mr. O'Neal walked out of the office and stood behind his wife. “Right on time, are you? And eager to be taking our Katie-girl out on a date?”
Somehow, Travis finally found his words, though he still was not certain what to think about the way Katie was dressed. . . and whether or not it was a good thing. “Yeah, Katie and I have plans. That is, unless she's needed here.” Seeing both his boss and Katie's in the kitchen, chatting with her, Travis suddenly felt that perhaps his plans were about to be changed.
“Nee, Travis, The O'Neals were just chatting with me about. . . well, about Gwen working more hours. Mrs. O'Neal is going to ask your mamm if Gwen can work full time this summer.”
“Now don't you worry about that today, Katie. You go have your date with your young man. And I'll be taking my wife home now.” Andrew put his arm around Amelia.
Travis nodded and picked up Katie's bag. Then, after a goodbye to the O'Neals, he took her hand and together they walked out to his car. Tossing her bag into the back seat, he moved so Katie could get into her seat, then he gently closed the car door and walked around to his side.
Once he was settled in his seat, he turned to look at her again. She was still his Katie, but there was something about the clothes that gave her a completely different look. He was grateful they were nothing like the getup his sister had shown up in at that singing, but they gave Katie a much more worldly look. In the jeans and tee shirt, she looked like any other girl, especially with her hair uncovered.
“Is something wrong Travis?” Katie's voice shook him out of his thoughts, and since he was not yet sure how he felt about her being dressed so differently, he answered only with a shake of his head before starting the car and slowly pulling out onto the road.
They were to the edge of town before he spoke again. “I don't mind telling you that all morning I expected something to happen to keep us from going out.” He laughed as he said it. “Now maybe I can relax and enjoy the day.”
“Silly, we've been out on dates a lot the past few months. What makes this one different?”
“I don't know, but I have this strange feeling that it does.” He also could not help but wonder if her clothes were some sort of sign or clue that perhaps his feeling was right.
Katie stopped smiling and really looked closely at him. “Maybe it's not us; maybe it's something at home making you feel anxious. Is everyone allrecht at home?”
Her question reminded him of one of the things he had been meaning to discuss with her. “Actually, I think it has to do with what you mentioned yesterday. I tried to talk to Gwen on the way to school yesterday, but she kept turning the conversation around to me and you.”
Fighting a sudden and unexpected frustration, he took a deep breath before going on. “Then today, she was acting weird. I cleaned the kitchen this morning at the cafe, so I went home to shower and change clothes.”
He pulled off the road and put the car in neutral. “Please, before we get into this. . .” He leaned across the seat and captured her lips, hoping that the contact would help center him, as it so often did.
Katie returned the kiss just as she always did, shy at first, relaxing after only a few seconds.
Travis took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, taking her hands in his and placing them against his chest. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribs.
“This is what you do to me, Katie. When I'm kissing you, I feel like my heart beats only for you.” And he kissed her again. It was easy to forget where they were, until Katie pushed him away.
Her face was flushed, a soft shade of pink staining her cheeks. “Travis. . . a buggy. I hear a buggy.”
Travis noticed a buggy coming towards them from the other direction. He knew it wouldn't look good for Katie if it got back to her family that she was caught kissing on the side of the road. Quickly he put the car in gear and drove off.
“See Katie. No matter where we are, no matter where we go, there's always someone—or something—to interrupt us.”
“Jah, but maybe Gott is sending them to keep us from forgetting ourselves. I hear about maedels in the church who get in a family way and have to marry quickly. . .” Katie spoke up. “And we cannot forget Bella and the condition she's in.”
Travis nodded his head, but he wasn't completely happy that she made good sense.
* * *
Although Travis had taken her hand and was holding it, he didn't say anything else, but he kept glancing over at her. Katie worried that she had said the wrong thing or perhaps should not have dressed like an Englischer, but the truth was, she was trying to be with him in his world, while she lived in her world when she wasn't with him.
It was confusing. It was complicated.
When he finally spoke, she heard distress in his voice. “Katie.”
“Jah? Was iss letz?”
“Katie, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. You are right. Too often I lose my head when I'm kissing you. Although I try to do the right thing, it's difficult to remember to stop. . . when all I want to do is keep going. I wish. . .” He shook his head and then went on. “But you're right about Bella and the other girls. Things happen sometimes. I don't want that for you.”
“It is not just you; I forget everything when you kiss me. If I had not heard the buggy wheels—” She said the words quietly, shame creeping in when she realized it truly was the only thing that had stopped her in that moment.
Travis went on as if he did not notice anything amiss in her voice. “Yes, but it's my responsibility to protect you. I promise you I will try harder. You'll see, I won't forget again tonight. I want you to have a nice memory of our date.”
Katie let out a long breath and smiled, even though Travis could likely not see it, since he was looking at
the road ahead. “I am having a gut time right now. I love taking long drives with you.”
“That's part of the plan. The next part is a movie.” He smiled over at her when they pulled up at a stop sign. “If I promise to behave like a gentleman, will you go to a movie theater with me?”
“Jah, I would like that. Is there something gut playing? Are we going to the city?”
He was nodding as he answered. “I checked and there are a couple of movies I think you would enjoy. . . one of them is a Christian film by these two brothers that make movies. I've heard great things about it.”
* * *
“Wow! That was wunderbaar!” Katie wiped at her eyes with a handkerchief. During the movie, Travis had heard her sniffing and had passed her his handkerchief, grateful he had listened when his mom had told him to carry one in his back pocket to use, and one in his shirt pocket to give to Katie in case she needed it.
“Now I thought we would get some supper. Do you like pizza?” Travis hoped she would say yes. After they began dating, they had stayed in town, and as much as he enjoyed living in Abbott Creek, there was not a good pizza place in town. Travis had been looking forward to introducing Katie to the pizza that had been a big part of his weekly routine when he had lived in the city.
“Jah, I've had it several times. I like it a lot.”
“Well, it just so happens that I know of a great local pizza place. It's not usually too crowded and they play music, but it's not too loud. So, you can talk, but you don't hear the people around you. Would you like to try it? I think you would enjoy it.”
“Jah, it sounds wunderbaar.”
* * *
The pizza place was just as nice as he had described it. The lights were low, with soft music playing in the background, and delicious smells coming from the kitchen area. Once seated, they took a few minutes to look over their menus.
It didn't take long to decide on a large pizza with sausage and mushrooms. The server took their order, then returned with salad and breadsticks, along with their drinks. Travis took Katie's hand and quietly said a prayer before they began eating.
After taking a few bites of his salad, Travis looked up at Katie. “Before I get distracted, maybe we should go ahead and talk about Gwen. I meant to tell you earlier, before we started kissing.”
He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned before continuing. “Anyway, I tried to find out if she had a problem at school, or if someone was bothering her, but when I asked her, she said no, that everything was fine. Then she told me to stay out of it and to leave her alone.” Travis did not look happy about any of it and Katie tried to find something to say. Her schweschders were much too young to have been through any of the things Gwen seemed to be right in the middle of.
Before she could think of anything to say, Travis went on. “Then I decided it might be better to not say anything else, but keep an eye out for anything unusual. And that's when I noticed that she's been on the phone a lot. She takes the phone in her room. . .”
He shrugged as he added, “I guess for privacy, and whenever it rings, she picks it up right away. Whoever it is that's calling her, they must have a lot to say. I was paying attention and the last call was over an hour. . . and for the most part, she talked so low I couldn't really make out anything she said. At least she didn't sound upset; actually, she sounded happy. . . maybe even excited.”
“Do you have any idea who she was talking to?” Katie asked, hopeful. Excited was gut. Perhaps they had been worrying over nothing.
“Nope. No clue, except she was humming when she came out of her room, until she saw me nearby. Then she grabbed a snack and ran back into her room and closed her door before I could say anything to her. Is this normal for girls?”
“I don't know if I can answer that. I have two young schweschders, but we do not share a room and the only phone is in the barn. We typically do not use it much and plain folk tend to keep courting matters to themselves until they are considering marriage. It sounds to me like she is growing up and wants some privacy.” She shrugged. “Maybe I was worried for no gut reason.”
“Well, I plan to keep a watch over her. I'd sure like to know who she was talking to on the phone—”
* * *
The server arrived with their pizza and they spent the next few minutes eating. Katie really seemed to be enjoying it. Travis felt like he had made good choices today. Who knew when they would have another date like this one, with just the two of them. . .
Once they were back on the road, Travis asked her something that had been on his mind all evening. “Katie, where did you get the English clothes? Did you dress that way for me? Or was there another reason?”
“Jah, partly for you. . . and partly for me. I borrowed the jeans from Bella. She can't wear them right now. The tee shirt is one I bought for our date and the shoes I have had for awhile. I have a much plainer pair of tennis shoes that I work in. You've seen them. . .”
Travis nodded and she went on, looking a bit uncomfortable talking about it. “There are really three reasons. . . I wanted you to see what I would look like dressed as an Englischer. Plus I wanted to see how I would feel wearing Englischer clothes, especially while out around other people. Finally, I didn't want to attract attention on our date the way I do wearing my plain clothes.”
“So, part of it was a test, to see if you would you be comfortable wearing jeans and other English clothes?” When she nodded, he went on. “I guess I just never thought about it. For some reason, I just thought you'd always dress the same, but I suppose that's silly.”
She looked unsure of herself, as if she had made a mistake. “Well, I—“
Quickly he added, “I have to say, I really like the jeans.” Travis felt his cheeks grow hot as thoughts of seeing Katie in tight jeans and slim tee shirts all the time filled his head.
“I like them, too. It's easier to blend in with other people. I like not attracting attention. That's something that has always bothered me. I'm thinking jeans might be warmer in the winter, too. But I really don't see myself wearing jeans all the time. Englischers wear dresses, too.” She gave him a searching look. “Which do you prefer to see me wearing?”
“Katie, anything you want to wear is fine with me. I love seeing you in your dresses. But you look really cute in those jeans.” Travis hesitated for a moment. “I think it's important for you to choose for yourself; not for me, or your family, or anyone else, but for you.”
He gently squeezed her hand. “I just want you to be happy.”
— FIVE —
Sunday, after the church service, Katie was busy in the kitchen, helping the others get the kitchen back to the way it was before they served lunch, when Freida came in. Seeing Katie washing dishes at the sink, she hurried over to her.
“I'm glad you came with your family today. . .” Freida pulled Katie away from the dishes, her hands dripping water all across the floor. “So, tell me all about your date with Travis.”
Katie could see that Freida was trying hard not to let the others hear her, which wasn't easy for Freida. “Where did he take you? What all did you do? Did anyone else go with you? What time did you get home?”
“Shh, Freida. Not here.” Katie looked around to see who else was nearby who might be able to hear their conversation, much less take notice of her dripping hands. “I cannot talk about it now. Come by the bakery tomorrow and I will answer your questions.” As she said it, she made her way back to the sink.
“Tomorrow? I can't wait until tomorrow!”
“You are going to have to, because I am not going to talk about it now. And if you come by the bakery, you can get some peach cobbler. . .”
“Allrecht. You know I cannot resist peach cobbler nowadays.”
“For now, you can help me finish the dishes and tell me how you are feeling today. I couldn't help but notice that you went out several times during the service.” Katie was worried about her freind.
“Ach. I'm told that's a normal thing. The bigger the b
opli gets, the more pressure I feel, which makes me stay close to the bathroom. Thankfully the Zooks have an indoor bathroom now.”
Katie giggled with her freind. “Jah. I can remember a few months ago, you were not so glad when we had services at the Beilers.”
“Ach. Do not remind me.” She put a hand on the bump over her stomach. “I am glad the morning sickness is over.”
Katie giggled again. “Jah. That was the only time you didn't crave peach cobbler. I'd rather make you cobbler every day than see you feeling so sick every day.”
“Jah. Now comes the best part. . . feeling better again, making clothes and diapers, and getting everything ready.”
“Mamm has been making diapers for the boplin. And not just diapers. I think she's making lots of clothes, especially for Bella's bopli. She thinks Bella won't be prepared.”
Freida giggled as Katie went on. “Mamm has had six children so she knows how many diapers a new bopli needs, plus all the clothes and blankets and things.”
“Jah, my mamm is making a quilt for my bopli. And I heard her talking to Mary Zook about Bella. The ladies are making a quilt for Bella. Won't she be surprised!” Freida paused a moment before continuing. “And they are planning to take meals over to Mrs. Mueller's house to help out once the bopli comes.”
“That is a wunderbaar idea. Of course everyone will be bringing meals to your house once your bopli gets here, too. Is your mamm going to stay with you for awhile? Or will she be able to leave your dat?”
“Jah, she is already planning on it.” Freida sighed. “I have been hearing how difficult it can be the first few days, so I am looking forward to having her there to help me.” Freida looked anxious. “Dat is doing much better now. Mamm feared that his cough meant he would have pneumonia again, but the doctor said the cough was just taking longer than usual to go away.”